Urban Rec is excited to announce our new leagues coming to All Sorts Indoor Sports in May. All Sorts Indoor Sports is a state of the art indoor venue located within Sydney Business Park, in Alexandria.

Historically, Urban Rec ran leagues at this venue in it’s maiden year of 2012. But after a 5 year break we are excited to come back to the venue and run social mixed sports for the venue.

We will run an indoor Mixed Soccer league with a min of 5 players on the court including 2 females. This will be a small sided court and played with a futsal ball. The league is targeted at teams and players that want to play Soccer, but not take themseleves too seriously. This is a safe, and beginner friendly league. Our Event Hosts are friendly, approachable and with a coaching mentality for the games.

The second league we are running is a Floor Hockey league. A very popular sport of our forefathers in Vancouver. This is for those that love ice hockey, or roller hockey. Played within a small sided rink, the league will be 4-aside with a goalie. The ball used is a soft floorball style ball, meaning goalies do not need protective gear and can be subbed at any time.

It would’nt be an Urban Rec league without the post-game beverages, so we have already organised for Urban Rec members to get hook ups at the on-site brewery, Rocks Brewing Co. There is no better way to end your game on hump day than with a fresh brewed beer and a feed.

As usual Urban Rec is organising individual teams to join both competitions. Individual registration is open online and players can enter onto a team. Once the team is full with an even amount of players, we enter them into the competition to play as a regular team for the rest of the season.

There are plenty more events coming up at All Sorts, with our Water Wars and Dodgeball Disco events to have centre stage at the venue. We cannot wait to see you there!

There is a first time for everything, and this season, we felt there was SO MUCH going on in the flag gridiron community that we had to send a seasonal wrap-up for all our leagues! So here it goes... We would love to hear back from you to see if you enjoyed this little written throw-back in time, and if you think we should do seasonal wrap-up’s in the future as well!

SYDNEY VENUE CHANGES FOR AUTUMN & WINTER:
As we move into the Autumn and Winter, our Inner West and Eastern Suburbs leagues are preparing for the migration to a new home.

Monday and Thursday night leagues (Inner West) will move to Camdenville Park (we have previously played here, and despite West Connex threatening to take the park, it is ours for the foreseeable future!). It has good amenities, and is super close to St. Peters train station! We will also be adding a new Clubhouse for this location - The Botany View Hotel.

Tuesday night league (Eastern Suburbs) will move to ES Marks - Centennial Park (this is our previous venue, with expected upgrades to the lighting, which we look forward to!). The facilities are premium, and certainly make you feel like you are playing with a under-the-lights stadium experience!

SUPERBOWL TOURNAMENT:
If you missed....shame on you! The day was EPIC, and was a great opportunity to get some new teams into the flag gridiron community. In fact, the 'Beginners' Division SOLD OUT 1st, with the 'Intermediate' Division lolly-gagging a little....The half-time show was next-level entertaining, with some of the best TD celly's we have ever seen! Congrats to our Superbowl Sunday tourney winners PEANUT GALLERY and HAILY MARY'S! The 'NFL Combine' was a super fun way to check out some of the speed and agility being represented in our leagues.

NORTH SHORE LEAGUE:
We have had TONS of requests to get a league started for our peeps up North! With field availability being so scarce, we have the idea to run a Sunday afternoon flag gridiron league in Cammeray. NOW - WE NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU NORTHERNERS! Would you be interested in playing on a Sunday afternoon league, closer to home?! Shoot us a line back, and let us know if you think we should take a gamble!

CANBERRA LAUNCHES A LEAGUE WITH 8 TEAMS:
We are stoked to bring flag gridiron to Canberra! We had hesitations, but there was a clear demand, and we launched with 8 strong teams registering to play American Gridiron! Whoop whoop! There is a 2-week field closure upon us soon, but the league is getting better every single week, which makes us feel excited about the future of the sport in Canberra!

RULE REMINDERS:
We have had a few rule variations flying around, but we have tightened our flag belts to make sure all the leagues are playing with the same rules. Here are some quick summaries for you.

Minimum 1-2 females to play -> depending on the league, the minimum # of females may be 1 or 2. Make sure you check if your league is a minimum of 1 or 2 females on the field.

Using females to play -> to stop male-dominated teams from not including their female teammates appropriately in the games, all females must be involved in each drive at least once.

Steamboats and rushing the QB -> your Event Host will be calling our 'steam-boats' to signify the time (after 3 steamboats) allowed until the defense can rush the QB.

FAREWELL TO BART:
If you have played flag gridiron at all in the last 5 years, you will most likely have been hosted by our fave man - Bart. A huge upset in the Urban Rec flag gridiron community, as Bart is spreading his wings and making the move to Melbourne for work. He has been an integral part of the success of this sport in Sydney. He has a genuine way of cooling down the heated players, and simplifying the rules for our new teams and players. He is going to be sorely missed. If you see him over the next week, give him a huge dose of your love and appreciation!

THURSDAY LEAGUE IN ST. PETERS TO CHANGE TO RECREATIONAL/INTERMEDIATE:
We tried to separate the leagues in the Inner West into a 'recreational/intermediate' league and an 'intermediate' league. No success. The people have spoken. Both Monday and Thursday night leagues will be offered as 'recreational/intermediate' leagues. This means your team will play each team once, and then there will be a top and a bottom half of the table for the re-seeding part of the season.

EVENT HOST OPPORTUNITIES:
The show must go on. We are actively looking for an Event Host to take over our Tuesday night league in Centennial Park in Sydney. This is a GREAT opportunity to get involved in the sport, meet new people and get paid to have a fun-tastic time! If you think you might be interested, shoot us an email letting us know why you would be a stellar person for the job!

That's all for now folks! Please let us know if you enjoyed our cheeky little season wrap-up! If you have any suggestions, questions or comments, never hesitate to shoot us an email – [email protected]

Things are in full swing behind the scenes at Urban Rec HQ, so here are some updates from us to you.

PUB NIGHTS

We are hosting PUB NIGHTS as a new initiative this season. It means we hand pick one night per league and organise for FREE jugs to meet teams at the bar! The purpose… to get you guys socialising outside of the field, court, diamond, pitch. It’s all about the ‘third half’, right?

Danny and teams at The Bat n Ball till all hours on a
Friday night after Cricket and Softball!

FLAG GRIDIRON LAUNCHED IN CANBERRA

We launched our SECOND ever league in Canberra this month. Flag Gridiron started very strong with eight brand new teams. Our main man in Canberra Donald said he was really impressed with the teams down there, we were worried they were going to take a while to buy into the “Urban Rec Way” but they all played with a seriously good attitude, and we are pumped about the future leagues we’re launching this year in Canberra.

Teams relaxing with an esky after their first games in Canberra

Valentines Day traffic light parties

...went off with a bang. Shit got awkward at some of the leagues, but love isn’t easy. We certainly know which of our Event Hosts are on the market now, and which of our players are taken. Haha. It was a lot of fun, with my favourite part being Dan dressed up as cupid.

...and while it might not mean much to you guys, it’s seriously nolstagic and wonderful for me to watch. Seeing Urban Rec grow from ONE touch football league, and a dream in Dec 2011, to 31 leagues and locations across Sydney and Canberra. It’s seriously the most rewarding thing I have ever done. Thanks for believing in us everyone. :)

an epic dodgeball event for 4pines

4Pines celebrated Christmas in Feb this year, with a huge 200 person conference, plenty of beer, and a Dodgeball Tournament, we will never forget. The themes included ‘Gross’, ‘Where’s Wally’, ‘Bogan Pride’, ‘Summer Mullets’, ‘Denim Devils’… the list goes on, and they did not dissapoint. You would think people who work together would be less competitive, noooooo sir-ee. It was on for young and old, the cages we’re rattling, and no one was humble in their achievements. It was the definition of fun, and we should all try and get at job at 4Pines.

We hosted them at Q Station in Manly! This photo
featuresplenty of beer being wasted.

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY TOURNAMENT

We hosted a SUPERBOWL SUNDAY TOURNAMENT, the Sun eve before the real deal in the US and it was awesome to see four new teams come out and try their hand at a new sport. We also bought a new Urban Rec Tournament trophy which is HUGE, 2 teams now have their names planted permanently on the big beauty as a part of UR history. Click here to see more about the event.

The Tournament Champs from the Intermediate
division, Hail Marys! Look at the size of that trophy!!

Well, thats a wrap for Summer. We are going to do these updates more often. We are humans here behind the scenes, so we want you to know more about us, and what we get up to each season.

Me (with the sunnies on head) at our last staff meeting!
How great is our crew.

Holly’s High Flying Los Flamas Blancas Still unbeaten 5 games in! Can anyone derail this train?!…The bookies are tipping Leanne and the rest of the Jillaroos from “It’s all in the Neymar” to take the top spot over the coming weeks! Watch this top spot battle!

From the Top of the League to the Bottom… The Belters sit equal last with the Mad Cows, My sources tell me things are about to change at the tail. The Belters all time highest scorer, The Tatted Silver Fox himself Ryan Christie returning from a minor ankle injury could be exactly what the team need heading into the business end of the season. The Mighty Pig from the Mad Cows has been spotted putting his team through grueling training sessions on sunday arvos in a bid to rise up the league, after playing some real nice footy against the Neymars it would seem to be paying off!

And into the mixer! MID table battles GALORE! The Unicorns led by the Judge himself (occassionally the jury and executioner) had a storming start winning 3 from 3 but seem to have hit a couple bumps in the road, i can only imagine they are soon to return to winning way with hot shot Tommy Gun in fine form recently.

Sitting just behind the unicorns in equal 4th place are No Baine & Leichhardt Utd! No Baine’s Baby Faced Assasins may not be able to get into a pub but they are certainly a force to be reckoned with as far as scoring goals is concerned! Leichhartd Utd Strong at the back, fast up front! Do not underestimate Marcus – The Greyhound with a rocket right hoof!

Onto the fan favourites Inner West Ham and Such Good Friends!! Inner West Ham...well what can i say, what they lack in eyebrow shape they make up for in heart! Having lost star man Jimmy Jangles to Japan the future looked bleak but not for Old mate Andy, the proud father to be, seems to have had a resurgence in recent performances not only saving but bagging goals at each end! SUUUUUCH GOOOOD FRIENDSSS, I dont want to make irresponsible correlations but is it purely coincidental that the SGF have began to decline at the exact moment Tom ‘the hulk’ Hogan Returns?

Stay Tuned!

If you want to play Soccer with Urban Rec, you can join any of our Soccer, or Street Soccer leagues that run year round.

The Bat n Ball hotel is a cosy English style pub with some great Australian traditions. The interior has a nice warm feel to it, that makes it the perfect place to cosy-in after playing sports out in the cold Autumn night. It’s located just off the Eastern Distributor, making it about a 15 min walk or 2 min drive from our fields at Moore Park and ES Marks.

Sit down in one of the booths, or grab a seat at the bar and enjoy a $6 craft beer when you show your Urban Rec card. The kitchen is open till 9pm, and is served from an anecdotal caravan within the dining area. Fun!

The bar staff have a really nice demeanour, making you feel like you belong there, which is a welcome break from some of the mass-murdered Sydney pubs. They know Urban Rec, and they know you have arrived for a pint and a feed to rest your weary bones. It’s a pleasure.

Each weeknight they offer special deals for the punters. These specials are not just a slap on a plate scenario, they are the real deal with each offering a genuine meal. Not too much, not too little. Elegant sufficeny.

Mon – Hot Wings 1kg bucket $10

Tue – $11.90 burger night

Wed – Steak night $11.90

Thu – Parmi night $11.90

What makes this place special? It’s locally owned, and you can often see the owner enjoying a pint by the bar, making this venue feel really unique and special in a crowded market.

What Member only deals for UR crew? $6 schooners for any beers or ciders on tap (inc craft beers), and $6 Glasses of House Red and White Wine

Most underrated dish? The Mac n Cheese burger. Strap in for a cheese journey like no other, with some wild dreams to follow. It’s a burger pattie you won’t forget.

Insider scoop – Wednesday night is Trivia night, so the later you attend the better, unless you’re planning to play. It can get noisy if you are looking for a quiet feed post game.

SWEAT EQUITY. Der. It doesnt take any level of superior intelligence to know that people need to get their sweat on. Let's not even bore ourselves with the proven science. The shiny, sweaty face after someone has played 40 mins of Dodgeball or Soccer is invaluable. Your people need to sweat. It's that simple. #worksweatplay

BE A TEAM, PLAY AS A TEAM. You need to know that working towards something trivial (debatable) like a goal, or a point on the sports field speaks VOLUMES for what happens in the work place. It's subconscious, and phycolocially instilled in us on a human level that no manager can do by sending a motivational email. "Dear Team, Let's start working as a team - Sincerely, Bad People Manager MANFI" (Masters in No Fucking Idea)

GOODBYE SILOS. Finance don't talk to Sales, don't talk to IT. It's INSANE. When did spending 8 hours in the same (room) get so impersonal. Workplace collaboration is not about what you know, it's about who you know. Get to KNOW Ben from IT when you're encouraging him to defend the line in a game of Flag Gridiron. Get to KNOW who people are beyond their keyboard. *violently shakes the keyboard in the air in frustration*

KIDULTING IS A THING. if you are your team are too busy "adulting" you need to re-think EVERYTHNG. Being a grown up sucks, your ankle hurts, your too busy for recreation, and you got bills to pay. STOP your team from thinking like this. Sprinkle some variety in their day. Make them feel energised at work, excited, playful and young again. Make them spend 40 mins of their evening throwing Dodgeballs at other people before they head home and watch the MAGIC unfold. *spirit fingers*

We are very excited to be offering a NEW way for our returning teams to get added value. PLENTY of you have been playing within Urban Rec leagues for years – so we have found away to give you a little back, for the upcoming Summer season.

Priority Registration is for any team that want to play with Urban Rec next season. Not only will you secure your spot ahead of any other Urban Rec members, or the general public, you will now get $60-100 off team rego.

Here’s how it works.

On Monday November 20th at 9am Priority Rego will open. Your team Captain will use their secret link to access registration, and the discounted fees. Priority Rego will be open for 7 days.

On Monday November 27th at 12noon all remaining team spaces will be available online and all prices will revert to regular seasonal fees. (Still a good price, but not a special price, ya know).

That’s it!

Heres a few questions we reckon you’ll ask.

What about individual players, do they get a discount? Sorry – individual rego remains the same price. If you and your team from last season are looking at re-registering, consider doing it together as a team.

What if we cannot get the team commiteed, and paid by that time? This one is especially for the organised and committed teams – you can start talking to your team now about next season so you don’t miss out.

What if my team are signed up for Soccer, but we want to return into Dodgeball (for example)? We will co-ordinate your team to move sports and get you re-registered within priority rego period. Simply shoot us an email as it’s a bit of a trick on our end!

What if I am not the Captain, and I am going to be taking over the team next season? Make sure your Captain for the current season assigns you as Captain, and you will have access to the priority rego link to carry the team onwards!

How do we know when next season starts? Your Captains will be notified of next season start dates in their Captains chat – they are subject to change due to rain-outs or other re-shedules that can happen, but generally only a few weeks either side. The summer season generally runs Jan-Apr. Here are the tentative Summer start dates.

Urban Rec is heading to Canberra if you’re from Sydney you probably already know what Urban Rec is all about. So what can Urban Rec bring to Canberra and why will Urban Rec be different in the most active city in Australia?

We run EPIC events- Urban Rec is kicking off in Canberra with a Beach Sports Party to show the city what we are all about. Sport, Food and beers on the beach, on a Sunday arvo it’s going to be amazeballs. One off events are not all we do, we run season ender parties at the end of each league, we plan and run some crazy Christmas parties and team building events. We can’t wait to show Canberra how social sports and parties mix.

We are a SOCIAL sports club- We play sport to have fun, we try not to make it too competitive. We love to share an orange at half time with the opposition and a beer after the game.

Don’t have a team? That doesn’t matter- Canberra is packed with people who moved here from interstate or overseas. At Urban Rec we give you the opportunity to register as an individual and we will hook you up with a team of other individuals who will become your new Canberra BFF’s.

Sport doneDIFFERENTLY- We put our own little twist on sports so if you’ve never played before that doesn’t matter, neither has anyone else. We’re bringing the first Beach Soccer and Beach Touch Footy leagues to Canberra, Street Soccer is soccer but with prison rules, we’ve all seen the movie Dodgeball it’s the same but Ben & Owen are yet to register. Multisport is like the triathlon of ball sports but with more than 3 disciplines.

Subs- Want to play sport 5 nights a week? Urban Rec members get entry to our Subs Facebook group. When teams are missing a player you can sub in and try a new sport for free. We are the only sports club in Canberra that runs multiple sports over multiple nights that you can be a part of.

Sunday Arvo’s at the beach- Did you even know Canberra had a beach? We are creating Canberra’s favourite Sunday Activity head down to the beach between 3pm-5pm to play in Beach Volleyball and Beach Soccer leagues and chill out in the Canberra sun.

Want the run down of everything you can be a part of in Canberra this spring check it out here.

Sometimes it’s frightening how little our members know about the added perks we offer to our members. Seriously, lets get this shizzle out in the open….

End of season Social Events and Parties

​​We bust our little booties to bring you great social events and parties every season. Think Holey Moley Golf, Bowls n Beers, Backyard 90’s Parties, and Beach Parties to be envied. Our upcoming event to say ‘sayonara’ to Winter is The Social Serve. This event is purely for your enjoyment! We make no money off them, we just do these events so our members can enjoy some much needed recreation, chillax time with their team mates, and a chance to socialise with all the Urban Rec Members.

FREE games as a sub across any UR league

Unlike other providers, we facilitate a subs page for you to be able to participate and play for FREE as an Urban Rec member. Every night you can be sure teams are posting looking for players, and that means YOU get free game time, free fitness, and a chance to meet new people and try a new sport. Try before you buy mannnnn.

Discounts at any UR Clubhouse

We have hand-picked, sampled, and selected the best venues in Sydney for post game beverages. Our Clubhouses offer great discounts for UR members. Like some are good, but some are GREAT. Seriously, in this very expensive Sydney lifestyle. Take advantage people!

Entry for FREE into any of our Season Ender Tournaments

Another collection of events that take a butt-ton of work, which we run for the love of it. These tournaments are FREE and not only are the teams who play in the leagues welcome, ALL of the players across any night or venue can get involved, and play for FREE and FUN! Here is a list of the upcoming Tournaments we are running.